


not quite lovers

by ordanary



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Break Up, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mentions of past abuse, References to Depression
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-21
Updated: 2018-06-21
Packaged: 2019-05-26 13:57:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15002327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ordanary/pseuds/ordanary
Summary: Dan wakes up the morning after a particularly hard breakup feeling much better than he could have ever expected to feel. The sun is shining brightly through the windows, the covers are wrapped around him loosely, a feeling of true warmth and comfort radiates in his chest, and he feels safe. Only he's not alone, and he doesn't seem to be in his own home, either. But maybe if he keeps his eyes closed a little longer and clings to the sleeping body behind him for just a while more, he wont have to leave.---Or in which neither Dan nor Phil know how to properly go about a one night stand.





	not quite lovers

**Author's Note:**

> Hello !! I've had this idea in my head for quite some time now, so I thought it was about time I actually wrote and posted it somewhere. Hope you enjoy !! -Karly

Dan could remember last night quite vividly, to both his dismay and relief. 

He could remember splashing cold water on his tear streaked face, pulling on the first jacket he could find and heading out the door, wanting nothing more than to escape the all too familiar surroundings of his London apartment. He remembered shivering in the cold of the late September night, shaky arms wrapping loosely around his exhausted frame as he cursed his choice in clothing. 

After all, he’d dressed for his boyfriend’s house, not the street. Well, now his ex boyfriend’s house. 

He hadn’t known what it was best to feel; sadness, betrayal, anger, or all three at once. However, in the end, it was only an overwhelming sadness that he'd felt. Sadness and confusion. 

As Dan had sat in the back seat of his taxi, he’d tried to remember if there’d been any signs lately, signs that he should’ve picked up on. Of course, there had been yelling, and hitting, and angry words, but no more than usual, he’d thought. Maybe he’d just had enough of Dan. Maybe that was it. 

Regardless, Dan was tired, too. No, he was physically and emotionally exhausted. 

He didn’t want revenge, or some futile attempt at an apology which might as well have been copied and pasted for all the times Dan had heard it. No, he’d wanted to find something or someone to numb the pain, the confusion, the exhaustion. 

And so he did. 

He remembered propping himself up at some middle class bar, waiting for someone attractive and kind to approach him and take him home. To distract him, to make him feel better. He needed a rebound of sorts.

And so entered the breathtakingly gorgeous man who would do just so. From the moment he walked into the bar, shrugging off his jacket and pushing long, pale fingers through stark black hair, Dan knew he was the one. His distraction. 

Dan watched idly as the man wiped his colourful sneakers on the doormat below him, as he licked his lips and patted his back pocket for what Dan assumed was his wallet, or perhaps a cellphone. After a quick scan of the room, the man made his way over to the main bar, where Dan was sitting pretty waiting for him, little did the man know. 

Conveniently for Dan, the man had sat on the barstool next to him, almost as if he maybe was interested in Dan, too. 

Dan shot that idea down almost as quickly as it popped into his head, though. He knew he was unattractive and annoying. That's why his last relationship had just ended, after all. 

Regardless, Dan was about two drinks past caring. 

Conversation began easily enough. It started off with the mention of Phil's Muse shirt, continuing on until it was nothing but almost shamefully obvious flirting being shared between the two strangers. 

Not even twenty minutes after his arrival, the man had ever so kindly offered that Dan come back to his place, and Dan had of course accepted. 

From then on was a blur of rushed movements. Numb fingers fumbling to open doors and unzip zippers, warm mouths ghosting over cold skin. Soft sheets, wandering hands, careless and sloppy kisses. Dan’s troubles were as forgotten and distant as the clothes he’d discarded on the man’s softly carpeted floor.

It was now some time in the late morning, Dan thought. 

He could tell that the sun was already up from one look through a window framed with curtains that weren't his. 

It was odd, waking up in this unfamiliar bed, breathing in this unfamiliar air, looking out this unfamiliar window. Even when he’d slept over at his ex’s house, nothing was ever unfamiliar. Perhaps that was for the worst, Dan now thought. Perhaps he’d been slowly suffocating without his own knowledge. 

Dan didn’t quite feel as though he were suffocating now. Though the situation was inarguably unusual and odd for someone as clingy as Dan, it was also comforting. It was new, fresh, and thank fucking god, it wasn't a regret, something Dan had been fearing. 

Instead of making a move to get up and leave, as he'd been planning on doing last night, dan leaned ever so slightly back against the raven-haired man whose chest was firmly pressed against Dan's back. He let himself enjoy the close proximity of foreign skin to his own, bathed in the comfort of another breathing chest against his back. Placing a cool hand over the man's warm one, he slowly brought it up to his own bare chest and left it there. Freeing his hands once more, he moved them up by the tiniest bit in order to stroke the smooth skin of the man's arm. 

He sighed in hazy contentment at the sensation of warm breath ghosting over the back of his curly, brown hair. For as long as the man behind him stayed asleep, maybe Dan could just be happy. Maybe he could forget about what happened between him and his now ex-boyfriend, about the anger fueled words that had been spat and the damage that had been done. Ignorance is bliss, is it not?

_Just sleep a little longer _, he thought at the man. _Just let me be happy for a bit longer. _____

_____ _

_____ _

_____ _

_____ _

As if the universe was against him, he felt the man's warm breath hitch and his comforting arms jerk from their position around Dan's torso. 

The man must have remembered who he was sharing a bed with, then, because not long after he was relaxing greatly and placing his hand back over Dan's chest, which was then accompanied by Dan's own. 

"Hello," the man spoke, voice a tad bit groggy and accent just a fraction more northern than Dan had recalled. 

Dan smiled softly. "Hi."

They lay in somehow comfortable silence for a few minutes more before the raven-haired man shifted and sat up in bed, causing Dan to reluctantly turn around and do the same, much to his dismay. 

Only then did Dan realize how strange this situation paired with his own actions appeared. He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand and cast his eyes down to the green and blue bedspread that was thankfully covering everything below their waists. 

He suddenly felt as if he'd overstayed his welcome. 

"I'll just grab my things and be on my way, then," Dan offered with a quick glance up and a forced smile. 

Before he could so much as move his leg to the edge of the bed, the man was reaching quickly towards him and wrapping his long fingers around Dan's bicep. It didn't remain there for long before he pulled it back. 

"You don't have to go if you don't want to," he offered. "You could stay a while."

"You don't even know my name," Dan spoke quietly. 

"Well then tell me," the man offered with a lopsided smile. "My name's Phil."

Phil, Dan thought. It suited him. 

"Dan. My name is Dan."

"Well it's nice to meet you then, Dan,” Phil grinned. “Would you please stay for a while? You don't have to, of course, but I can make breakfast and wash your clothes if you'd like. I'd like some company."

Phil seemed so genuine, so kind, so generous. It was almost as though he knew that even more than wanting to go home, Dan didn't want to be alone. Not today, at least. Not after yesterday. 

So with a pleasant smile and rosy cheeks, Dan nodded. "Okay, Phil. It's nice to meet you, too."

—

As promised, Phil made a breakfast of pancakes and coffee for Dan and himself, but only after lending Dan some of his clothes to wear whilst he put the aforementioned's clothes in the washer. 

Dan was silent for the better part of the morning, save for a few polite comments and noises of confirmation when asked if he took milk in his coffee. He preferred to observe rather than converse, especially before twelve PM. 

So he did just that– he observed. 

He noted things such as the rainbow of clothes in Phil's dresser, and the subtle cherry scent of his deodorant. Phil took two sugar and two milk in his coffee. His tongue poked out of his mouth when he laughed. There were several photographs turned face down around his apartment. 

Dan often found that it was the little things that made a person. The little things were habitual and subconscious. A story told not with words and grand gestures, but with hints and subtleties. That's how Dan often told the difference between a boring person and someone he wanted to know. 

He wanted to know Phil. 

"You can come closer to me, you know," Phil spoke from his spot on the sofa. He was sat in one corner, while Dan had situated himself on the opposite corner. 

They were watching reruns of Buffy The Vampire Slayer on Phil's television, making small talk about the characters and overall plot line while slowly eating a bowl of crisps that sat in between them. 

There had been a part of Dan that had definitely wanted to move closer to Phil, to seek comfort from this oddly kind and suspiciously perfect stranger. 

But there was also another part of him that wanted to stay as far away as possible. Keep a distance, stay neutral, don't get attached. Don't fuck it up like he did the last. 

Then again, Phil was merely his one night stand. There wasn't much to fuck up. 

Dan placed the crisps on the coffee table and moved closer to Phil's corner of the couch, nothing save for a few inches separating the two near strangers. 

And it was only a few minutes more before they completely eliminated all space between them, Dan pressed firmly against Phil's side, whose arm was also wrapped around the brunette's waist, tracing patterns in his skin where his borrowed jumper had ridden up. 

It felt nice, and calming, and safe. God, for the first time in weeks, Dan felt safe. It was strange, really, how he had already placed more trust in a stranger he'd only met briefly last night before sex more than the man he'd been in a committed relationship with for almost a year. Breakups do funny things to your head, it seemed. 

"Hey, Phil?" 

"Yeah?" Phil hummed. 

"You were my rebound last night," Dan admitted. Sugarcoating didn't seem necessary at the moment. 

Phil chuckled breathily at Dan’s sudden and casual confession. "You were mine, too." 

Dan smiled sadly. "Breakup?"

"I guess you could call it that. I caught my girlfriend cheating a few days ago. I was sad for a while, but I'm kind of over it now. I just didn't want to think about it last night. You?"

Dan thought briefly of the many downturned photos in the apartment, piecing together that the subject of those pictures was probably Phil’s ex-girlfriend. She was probably smiling at the camera, lies and guilt hidden behind her eyes. Dan would have to do the same to the photos in his apartment, as well. 

"I went to visit my boyfriend yesterday at lunch and instead of a kiss, I got yelled at for nearly half an hour about how shitty of a partner I was. When he was done, he told me to get out and not to come back." 

Dan paused, hesitating on the last bit and debating whether or not he’d be sharing too much if he continued. "He'd done that before, though. But I promised myself this was the last time he would degrade me, so I blocked his number and went to the bar. And now here I am."

Phil's eyes were downcast as he laced his free hand's fingers with Dan's own, a comforting gesture. "I'm sorry. I'm glad that was the last time, though. You're very strong, Dan."

Dan felt a heat creep up his neck and onto his cheeks at Phil's kind words. He squeezed Phil's hand. 

"Thank you," he whispered. "I'm sorry about your girlfriend, too. You don't deserve to be cheated on like that."

Phil smiled down at Dan, the TV completely forgotten by this point. 

"Like I said; I'm over it. I knew we weren't gonna last, anyway. And besides, I'm glad I was free to be with you last night." Dan didn't have to be looking at Phil to hear the smile in his voice. 

"As selfish as this may sound, I'm glad you were free, too."

—

Saturday afternoon came and went. The two men spent the time mostly talking about themselves to one another and sharing slow and comforting kisses, despite their just meeting.

When the dryer sounded, informing them that Dan's clothes were clean and wearable once more, Dan changed back into his own boxers and jeans but stayed in Phil's red and black spotty jumper.

At nearly two PM, they ordered pizza and sat unsurprisingly close to each other, but this time on 'Dan's' side of the sofa. They made small talk about their jobs –Dan being a bookstore cashier while Phil was a blogger– for a measly twenty minutes before they were making out once again. 

At four thirty, Phil proposed they play a game, and Dan suggested Cards Against Humanity. They played for quite some time, sat on the soft carpet of Phil's bedroom, before Phil admitted defeat and allowed Dan to proudly claim his winnings (a red lollipop that Phil had found in his bedside drawer). 

Dan sucked pridefully on the lollipop for only five minutes before exclaiming that it was far too sour and he couldn't handle it, causing Phil to laugh wholeheartedly and bring his own chapped lips to meet Dan's now slightly-redder ones. 

As the day progressed further, their troubles seemed to fade into little nothings, settling into the furthest corners of their minds and staying there.

Dan, for one, was grateful for this. Phil didn't seem too upset about it either. 

"I don't think either of us know how to do one night stands correctly," Phil laughed, running his hands through the curls atop Dan's head, which was situated in his lap. 

Dan grinned. "I agree. I think we're both commitment type people. We can't do hit and runs."

Phil shook his head fondly. "God, you're right. I can't even talk to a barista without wanting to know their entire life story."

Dan chuckled and licked his lips. "I'm not surprised, honestly."

Phil smiled and wound one of Dan's curls around his index finger. "I really liked spending today with you." 

"Yeah, me too," Dan spoke softly. "Speaking of which, what time is it?"

Phil glanced lazily to the analog clock on the television stand in front of them. "Six forty-five."

Dan sighed and pulled himself up from Phil's lap. "I should get going, then."

Phil frowned. "Don't go, I'll miss you," he pleaded, giving Dan his best puppy dog eyes. 

Dan smiled sheepishly, his answer coming out quiet and small. "I don't want to overstay my welcome, though."

Phil rolled his eyes and placed a hand on Dan's cheek. "I want you here, promise. I've had more fun with you in the last twenty four hours than I've had all year. Please, Dan. Stay?"

Even though Dan's physical smile was bright, it was nowhere near as luminous as the one his heart was emitting. 

No one had ever made him feel this wanted, this significant. Even if it was only as small of a gesture as asking him to stay another night, it truly meant the world to Dan. In fact, it meant almost more than the world. 

Dan knew he was right when he'd set his eyes on Phil in the bar last night. However he was wrong when he'd decided Phil would be his distraction. For he had proven himself to be far more than that.

In less than twenty four hours, Phil had made Dan feel a little bit more significant to this world, like perhaps life was now a bit more worth living. 

As dumb and naive as it sounded, this was so much more than a one night stand, and even if all Dan got out of it was a new friend, the so be it. 

All he knew was that he needed Phil to be in his life. He needed the carefree and blissful feeling that the raven-haired man gave him. Because Phil made him feel a little lighter, a little calmer, a little brighter. 

And hell, he made him feel a lot less sad. 

So with this in mind, Dan's answer came easy. 

"Okay, Phil."

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading !! Maybe reblog on tumblr (@ordanary) ?? As always, kudos and comments are super appreciated and I hope you have a great day :)


End file.
